Small Fruited Apple Varieties

13 years ago

Hey everyone!

I am guessing that not everyone growing apples is looking for or wanting to grow large fruited apple varieties. Some of us, I would imagine, are rather interested in growing small to very small fruited highly flavored varieties instead.

That's what and where my interests are leaning towards now-a-days.... Small in size but big on flavor apples. Apples that maybe three or four of can fit in a persons pocket. Like work pants pockets, not my daughters Friday night out jeans pockets...

Lady Apple size apples, maybe a little larger.... But overall I guess what I am really interested in are what would generally be considered "little" apples.

I kind of figure that if I start in earnest now, by the time I have a few loud mouthed hungry and sugar hungry grandkids old enough to learn the difference between garbage and good food, I might have lots of yummy little tree snacks for their voracious little appetites. Especially necessary considering that growing up our kids considered themselves quite fortunate to get any candy at all, even once a month. One soda a week and one junk/fast food meal 3 Friday nights every month, and that was that.... They turned out OK....

And so, I thought it might be somewhat easier than perusing every catalog and forum I could find, and certainly much more interesting and entertaining, to ask the folks here of their opinions and experiences of and with small fruited apple varieties.

So, if you have knowledge and experience with full flavored half sized apples, especially if you're in a climate somewhat similar to that of the northern Appalachians of North Carolina, please do post your opinion and experiences here.

Oh yeah... I have this thing about Limbertwigs too, but for reasons unrelated to anything apple-wise..... The "savior" and collector of all things Limbertwig, Henry Morton, is the man who taught me how to graft. I am intent on one day having one of every Limbertwig I can find, growing here.

I had a brief fling with some red fleshed apple varieties at one time, but they just do not seem to do too well here, and, just a fairly poorly informed guess here, but it seems as if getting red fleshed fruits here, is rather dependent on us having a rather short and somewhat cool summer.... But, if you know of little red fleshed apples that are sort of Limbertwig like in their growth habit, you're about to be one of my hero's, so please do share the name and nursery with me!!!!!

OK!!!! My long winded short request is at last complete!

THANK YOU!!!!!

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Comments (8)

applenut_gw
13 years ago
Wixon would be number one in my book, while Yates, Pixie Crunch, and Terry Winter also tend on the small size.

For that matter, just about any variety if don't thin them will end up just a bit bigger than golf balls; you'll just end up with a crop every other year.

Applenut
lucky_p
13 years ago
Edible crabs aka "lunchbox apples". Applenut was pretty much dead-on.
Wickson and Chestnut crabs consistently get rave reviews for flavor - neither have fruited here for me yet.
Centennial and Kerr crabs(both Dolgo offspring) have been good producers here, one sweet, one tart.
Yates and Winter Terry/Terry Winter(I've seen it both ways) are old varieties, small, and noted for doing well in The South, with good flavor.
Callaway crab, an ornamental crab with 1.5" fruits is a favorite in my family. You can fill your pockets with those tasty little morsels and munch away - heavy bearer and good disease resistance.
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The point has been well made here about not only the taste, but also the surviability of various fruit varieties in different locales. For ex, you CAN grow an Apricot near Atlanta, but would rarely ever get any blossoms to survive the late frosts. There are so many variables that impact flavor and survivability. If you try GA apples, then a Carolina apple, then a VA apple you will see the differnce both in flavor and in how long they will store. Some of the old regional varities such as the original Winesap are delicious, but many, such as the Ben Davis, taste like sawdust and were grown primarily because they were hard as a rock and could stand up to the earlier, longer shipping methods. Too, the climate changes as do pest problems...hence GA and South Carolina having really fallen in the number of peach orchards. Rootstocks that will succeed in one part of the country would never live in the heat, humidity, and soils of the south. Mosty fruits rioen in accordardance with the climate, hence California North Coast Grapes always making far better Zinfandels than any you will find in the SE. Pears are notorious for fireblight in the south, which is why you so often see the rock hard Keiffer. Other than the Warren pear, few will thrive here despite the best of efforts. In NC, Lee Calhoun is an excellent resource, as is Jim Lawson IN Ball Ground GA. There are others. Just because an apple is an old variety, doesn't mean it is superior, but there are many old U.S. AND European Varieties. One beautifully printed guide is the classic...Apples of NY. The fun is in the discovery and the occasional failure. I discovered scrumpy and real hard cider in the west country of England, Perry in Normandy, and Kreik in Belgium. BUT, also lost an entire orchard of hand grafted trees due to my absence another year when a little beatle in NC destroyed everything. Here in GA, dug up some six year old dwarfs only to discover that there were no roots thanks to the GA clay and resident pests. If you want successful fruit trees in the south, you do need to spray.
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Scott F Smith
13 years ago
My two favorites are Wickson and Pitmaston Pineapple. Both are about Lady-sized, and both are very unique in flavor.

Scott
kate-thetreenursery
13 years ago
I will agree with Scott that Pitmaston is a delicate apple with powerful, delicious flavour

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: Apple Pitmaston Pineapple
thomis
13 years ago
I also was going to say Yates. The attached website has pictures of the Yates apple. And guess what, it is a North Carolina Nursery - you're in luck.

My Yates is a dwarf tree on bud9 rootstock. This year is it's 3rd year and it has about 20 or so apples on it. Right now they are all about the size of golfballs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Century Farms
oregonwoodsmoke
13 years ago
Another vote for Wickson Crab.

I recommend Fuji for kids. It's very consistent, medium size, and mild and sweet in flavor with a nice crunch. It's a good apple to start kids on the road to developing sophisticated tastes in apples.

It's very possible that young children will not like the strongly flavored apples that we adults enjoy.
murkwell
13 years ago
I have a number of varieties that are ripening for me for the first time this year. From those my favorite so far by a good margin is Rubinette.

I didn't thin them much if at all and they set pretty heavily which may have influenced the size. Its known for being a relatively small apple to begin with.

They are very flavorful with a nice sweet to tart balance. I believe they are a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin and Yellow Delicious.
RRoman
12 years ago
About 5 years ago we got a pixie Crunch tree, It has grown very nicely... if you want to count limbs and leaves. Two years ago we finally got flowers and were very excited. The fruit started... and then stopped. The apples never grew any bigger than about 1/2 inch in diameter. No I'm not joking. Last year it did the same thing. This year they look exactly the same as they have for the last two years. Of course it is only June and maybe they will actually grow.... I haven't been able to find anything anywhere that would explain this to me. I've never grow a fruit tree before in my life so I have no clue what would cause this. Thanks for any help anyone can give.

Small Fruited Apple Varieties

Comments (8)

applenut_gw

lucky_p

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